


Never Knew What I was Missing

by eyeless_soul



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23541679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyeless_soul/pseuds/eyeless_soul
Summary: Clint Barton was an uncollared sub, and happy about it. All Steve sees is a distressed submissive.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Steve Rogers
Comments: 24
Kudos: 66





	1. Phil Coulson Meet Clint Barton

The last thing that Clint had wanted was to be forced to his knees while having an unwanted collar buckled around his throat. This was not how he functioned and this was not what he wanted. He was aware that he was uncollared submissive and this had always worked well for him. He didn't mind not having to answer to anyone, in fact, he had considered that a perk to not having a Dominant. Most of the Dominants that he had previously had were jerks. They were mean spirited bastards. There was always a hidden agenda, he had never been loved. He had always been used for their purposes, whether that was just for the bragging rights; having collared the elusive Hawkeye or for his body. They were never really interested in him. He had always thought that was exactly what he deserved, that no self-respecting Dominant could love him.

Then he had met Phil Coulson. When they first met, he thought for sure that his luck had run out. He had been on the run from this outfit called SHIELD and he had planned to keep it that way. After a three week game of hide and seek, he knew that his luck had finally run out. He was exhausted, and thanks to Coulson he was also shot in his leg. It obviously wasn't a kill shot, it had only been meant to slow him down. What Coulson hadn't expected was for the young man to fling himself off the roof that Coulson had him cornered on. It would be another two days before Coulson cornered him again.

Phil had seen the look of dread in the young man's eyes on that second meeting. He knew that he was done, that there was no where left to run, no corner that could hide him. Phil had been smarter this time, he cornered him on the ground. He thought for sure that the young man would at least try to escape, but instead, he dropped the gun that he had pointed at Phil, leaned heavily against the wall and put his hands in front of him with his palms out in a display of surrender.

Phil had raised an eyebrow. “After all that, now you decide to come willingly?”

Clint offered a smug smile, with a slight shrug of his shoulder. “Why not?You can't chase after me forever.”

Phil had just shook his head at that point. He had known that Clint was tired and probably into some trouble. He knew what SHIELD could offer the young man and he also knew that Clint as a Dominant would be one of SHIELD's most valuable assets once they managed to hone in his skills. “Come on, the car is waiting.” Phil was again surprised when the young man didn't move. Phil was about to walk closer when the young man pushed against the wall with his one hand and limped towards Phil. Phil was unsure what to make of the young man but at the same time, after chasing him through several different states he knew that the only thing that mattered was the fact that he had caught him. As they sat in the car, Phil took out his phone quickly sending Director Fury a text letting him know that Hawkeye had been caught.

The ride to the compound was silent. Clint had been pretty sure that he was being arrested. He had found it odd that the man in the suit had decided against handcuffing him. He knew that the protocol for uncollared submissives that ran from dominants for whatever reason, were usually cuffed, in some cases, in such a way that they were stuck on their knees. This man was treating him like he was another dominant, that struck him as odd, although he didn't sat anything. He figured that the less he spoke, the better.

When the car stopped, Phil had every intention of grabbing Clint by the arm and leading the younger man into medical. He knew that the young man needed to have his gun shot wound looked at. As they stepped out of the car, he incidentally placed his hand on the back of the blond's neck. Clint tried very hard to fight the urge to sink to his knees. He couldn't remember the last time that he was put down, it had to have been almost a year. He hadn't meant to wait that long, he knew where there were professionals that would put him down nice and easy. He would have successfully fought the urge to his knees but they were stopped by Director Fury, who couldn't wait to get a look at the young man.

“Agent Coulson.”

“Director.” 

“Is Hawk--” he stopped mid sentence and it took Coulson a minute to realize why.

Phil realized a bit too late, that the grip that he had on the back of Clint's neck got a little harder. The Director had stopped talking because, despite the fact that his leg had to be hurting him, their newest asset just gracefully sank to his knees. Phil turned to look at the blond, his back was perfectly straight, with his hands, now behind his back, crossed at the wrists and his head bowed. Phil raised an eyebrow and looked at the director. “I think we may have a problem.”

Fury nodded slightly. “Who would have thought that Hawkeye was a submissive.” He seemed completely unfazed. 

Phil was willing to bet that if he could have gotten a good look at Hawkeye's eyes, they would have been slightly glassy. He wasn't sure when the last time was that the young man had dropped, and he was willing to be that when you were on the run it wasn't a priority. The draw back of that was that Clint seemed to be dropping and he was dropping fast. This was dangerous, especially since he would drop that easily. “Director, I don't think that I need to emphasize how this should stay between us. He's probably the best marksman that I have ever seen and if word got out that he was a submissive and one that goes down that easily...this could be dangerous...especially with the enhancers that are out on the black market today.”

Fury nodded, understanding what Coulson was trying to get at. “If someone kept him on a steady stream of an enhancer, let say one that makes him drop, they could keep him in a pliant and controllable state where he would just be their weapon.”

Phil nodded. “Exactly. No conscious thought about what he was doing. As far as he would be concerned he would just be being a good submissive doing as he was told.” Phil gently increased the pressure on the back of Clint's neck, almost as if he wanted to prove a point. Clint's breathing just deepened and his whole body seemed to relax. “I'm going to take him to an empty med bay, I'll try to bring him up and then I'll get someone to look at his leg. After that I will talk to him. Try and get him to sign on and see if there is a dom out there that could possibly be looking for him.”

“Sounds like a plan. Keep me in the loop.” Fury turned and walked out before Phil could say anything more.

Phil let a little bit command seep through his voice. “Up.” He wasn't surprised when Clint stood and waited for the next order. Phil considered his options very carefully. He wanted to make sure that he could get Clint to safety with few people seeing. He decided that the best course of action would be to keep his hand on the back of Clint's neck and just walk him to the medical bay. As they walked, Phil was a bit concerned, he had never met a submissive that went down so easily or so quietly. Even as they walked Clint made no noise, gave no sign that he even knew where he was going. Phil got them to a quiet room, closed the door and used his own pass code so that the door would stay locked until he was finished. He had no idea how long this was going to take but he was not going to run the risk of someone walking in and upsetting the balance of what he was going to try to do.

As soon as the door was locked Phil set about getting a bottle of water out of the nearby fridge as well as the softest blankets he could find. He managed to find a couple of pillows as well. He knew that this still wasn't as comfortable as it could be but at the same time it was the best that he would be able to do on such short notice. He put the pillows on the bed, at first he was going to try and make a circle with them on the floor but seeing as Clint was still hurt, he didn't think that getting the younger man to be on the floor was a good idea, he wondered how he even managed to kneel in the first place. Once he was sure that everything was ready, he took off his suit jacket hanging it on the nearby chair and rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. He glanced at the younger man. He needed to try and get him up as quickly as possible, he seemed to be down pretty deep. His eyes were glassy and even as he stood his hands were behind his back with his head bowed.

“Come here Clint.” As he spoke he made sure that everything was as comfortable as he could make it. He watched carefully as Clint walked, somewhat stiffly to where Couslon was now sitting. He stood in front of the older man and then went down on his knees. “No.” Phil watched as his brows knitted together in confusion and he stood back up, he was trembling slightly. “On the bed.” He patted the bed with one hand while grabbing Clint around his wrist with the other and pulling him towards the bed. Phil had to manhandle him onto the bed. He wasn't completely surprised by this. But he got the younger man on the bed, and nestled into the blankets. He tucked Clint into his side as the younger man had started trembling, not quite a full body tremble but he knew that if he let it go on for long enough unchecked then it would be. 

Phil rocked gently as he carded his fingers through the short blond locks. He was murmuring nonsense and he knew it. He was telling Clint what a good boy he was, that it must have been so hard all on his own with no one to care for him but that was done now. He could stop fighting, stop thinking and just relax. He sighed a breath of relief when he felt Clint's breathing completely even out and he relaxed against him. Coulson didn't stop carding his fingers through his hair but at the same time, he texted Fury to say that he wasn't out of his drop yet but he was asleep.

It was a few hours before Clint woke up. He kept his eyes closed while he swallowed the panic that he could feel rising in his throat. His leg hurt, but he could tell it had been stitched. He could feel the beginnings of a headache starting behind his eyes, he was thirsty. He could feel the warmth of another body as he was tucked into their side and he tried not to think about the hand in his hair, gently playing with the short strands. In the relaxed state that he was in, he inhaled and the only thing that was running through his head at that moment was Dominant. He stayed as still as possible. He couldn't remember where he was, the last thing that he remembered was getting shot by the man in the suit and now nothing. The submissive part of his brain just wanted to stay tucked away and safe. But he knew that sooner or later he would have to face the music. So he sighed and opened his eyes.

Coulson noticed the change in the sub's breathing before he opened his eyes. He didn't move though, he knew that it would be important for Hawkeye to come to terms with everything on his own. Clint opened his eyes and tried to pull away from the warm embrace even though every fiber of his being was telling him that he was safe, that he should just let the Dom take care of him. Much to Phil's surprise Clint shook his head, almost like trying to clear the fog. Phil turned his eyes to Clint, for someone so young, he looked scared and sad but only for a moment before his eyes showed nothing.  
“Here.” Coulson handed him the unopened bottle of water. Clint knew that he shouldn't take it, didn't know what they could have done to it but at the same time, he couldn't bring himself to care. His throat felt like sandpaper and he figured that if they wanted to poison him or kill him they could have done that already. Coulson watched as Clint drained the bottle in three long pulls. “Better?”

Clint wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand. “Yes, much thank you.” 

Coulson watched him but let me untangle himself. “Now that you're awake I have a couple of questions for you and then an offer.” 

Clint rolled his eyes. This was not the first time that someone had tried to buy his services, as in, permanently buy his services. He was not one to put all of his eggs in one basket. He hated people thinking that just because they knew that he was a submissive that he could be ordered around, and he had no that these people already knew. He expected to get hit for the eye roll but he was alright with that. The sooner that this man became violent the better that Clint would be able to gage what sort of trouble he was in. What he hadn't expected was the hand to come resting on the back of his neck. It wasn't a tight hold, it wasn't meant to hurt. It was just meant to ground.

“The first thing I need to know is why you have an ID card that clearly labels you as a dominant but as soon as I put a little pressure on your neck, you dropped and you dropped hard. You're a submissive, aren't you?” Phil had wanted to keep the command out of his voice but as soon as Clint had started rolling his eyes, he knew that if he wanted to get any where with this boy, he was going to have to play a little dirty.

Clint licked his chapped lips. Despite having drank an entire bottle of water he was suddenly thirsty again. He ducked his head, and Phil was guessing that he was unaware that he was doing it. His body was simply responding to Phil's Dominance. “I have been playing a Dom for most of my adult life, it makes doing my line of work, that much easier. People tend to not want to hire you or take you seriously if they know that you're a submissive. They like to think that submissives can't hurt people, can't kill people. I guess I just don't fit that mold.”

Phil nodded, now all of the wayward pieces seemed to be coming together. “You don't have a dominant, do you? That was why you dropped so hard. When was the last time that you were dropped, aside from today?”

Clint made a noise in the back of this throat. At first Coulson thought it was a sob and then he realized that the young man was laughing. “I haven't had a dominant since I was 15. And admittedly it has been a couple of years since I was dropped properly. I refuse to kneel for any dom just because they think that I should. In any event, I don't really see why you would care. Are you don't trying to psycho-analyze me? I thought that you said that you had an offer?

Phil momentarily closed his eyes. This was not the way that he had pictured the conversation going. He wasn't exactly sure how he thought that would happen but this definitely wasn't it. “SHIELD has heard that you are an expert marksman, they would like to capitalize on that skill set.” Phil held up his other hand to silence the young man as he had opened his mouth to speak. “Let me finish before you answer. They will offer you a job, a place to live and protection against anyone who may want to cause you harm. They will offer you the opportunity to expand your weapons knowledge and in return you do as they say. There are only 2 people on this base that know that you are a submissive; myself and Director Fury.”

Clint smirked. “I'm not going on my knees for anyone and I am not wearing a collar.”

Phil used pinky finger on the hand that was still on the back of Clint's neck to gently rub at his hair line. It took every ounce of resolve that Clint had not to learn into the touch or groan. It had been so long since a dominant had touched him he had almost forgotten how good that could feel. “As long as I am here, no one will know that you are a submissive. You have an ID card that says that you're a dominant, all of the intel that we have on you says that you are a dominant. The only way that they would know that you are a submissive would be if they either analyzed your blood or you somehow managed not to ignore a command,which you seem very good at doing. You would never have to wear a collar. I have a contract that I want you to look over and sign, it's a standard work contract. SHIELD wants you and it's my job to make sure that you sign on with them.” As he talked his pinky finger never stopped moving. 

Clint really should have known that there would be no hiding his true nature for very long. Even after he had became part of the Avengers. He knew that it was only a matter of time before someone found out, be that good or bad. Especially since after the battle of New York with Coulson gone. He thought that he could keep a lid on things, but the more he tried to keep himself together, the faster he seemed to fall apart.


	2. Steve Rogers Takes Clint Barton

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve is tired of seeing Clint in distress so he does something about it.

Clint was coming out of his nest less and less. At first people thought this was because of the everything that had transpired within the battle of New York. No one blamed him for being brain washed by Loki and doing the things that Loki had made him do. Everyone was just glad that he was back to his original snarky self. But as the battle had ended, the last of the debris cleaned up and businesses slowly started to re-open Clint had locked himself away.

At first everyone was willing to give him the space that he needed. They figured that he was just sorting things out. But when he stopped showing up for movie night, and then skipping team dinners and only making an appearance when they fought together, even Tony knew that there was something wrong. Tony didn't understand it, he wasn't acting like a dominant, he was acting like asubmissive missing his dominant. Tony went to the one person that he knew would have any hope of knowing what was going on with Barton.

Natasha.

She was found easily enough, curled on the couch, with a book in her lap. She had been reading it once but now she was just staring out the window. Tony waited by the door, waiting for her to acknowledge that he was there. She was probably one of the fiercest dominants that he knew (even more so then Pepper) and that scared him a bit. It made him want to kneel at her feet every time he was in the same room as her. She didn't make him wait long. Her eyes flicked to the door, where he was standing with his head down and his hands clasped in front of him. “Tony?”

“Ma'am?”

She smiled. “How many times have I told you, unless Pepper is here you can call me Nat or Natasha?”

As much as he tried he couldn't keep the nervous smile to himself. “At least a dozen last time and maybe a dozen more times.”

“How can I help you?” She set the book on the table and turned giving him her full attention.

He crossed the room and sat on the large table. He almost knelt in the space between the couch and the table but figured she would just tell him to get up. “It's about Barton.”

She nodded, she had known that someone was going to end up talking to her about Clint. Most of the Avengers knew that they had worked together before and that she probably knew more about him then anyone aside from Phil, but he was gone. So that meant that they were looking up to her to fix him. She didn't know if she could. Maybe before Loki, she would have been able to put him down, nice and easy. But now, he needed a more permanent solution. “I know that he isn't acting right. He's just trying to work some stuff out. Just give him time, he'll come around.”

Tony chewed on his bottom lip. “As long as you're sure.” He risked looking into her green eyes.

She smiled at him as gently as she could. She put her hand on his shoulder. “If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have said it.”

He nodded, got off the table and exited the room. As soon as she was alone again she sent Clint a message.

**Hold yourself together better. People are starting to notice.**

When she didn't get a reply she went to go find him. She knew that if he had his hearing aids out that he wouldn't have necessarily notice the message. She took the elevator to his floor, leaving her book on the table. She thought about taking it with her but decided against it, it was in no danger being left in the common room.

When she reached his room, she was surprised by a couple of things. The first was that his door was shut and locked, the second was that she could hear another voice in his room; someone was already there talking with him. She ran soundlessly down the hall so that she could get enough momentum to easily climb up the wall and into the vent. Once there, she crawled until she was right over his room. She was surprised to see Steve, standing in Clint's room, with Clint on the floor, more specifically with Clint on his knees in front of the Captain. She wasn't surprised to see that he wasn't looking at the ground, his eyes staring, somewhat murderously at the Captain.

“Clint, this is for your own good.” In his left hand, Steve had a Stark-issued collar. Tony had made sure that all of the dominants in the tower had their own style of collars. These were made by Stark Industries, they were high class, finger-encrypted electronic collars. Once the dominant placed the collar around the neck of the submissive and locked it with their fingerprint, the collar could not be removed until that dominant unlocked it.

Clint shook his head and stood back up. “I'm not a --”

Steve cut him off. “Really?” He leaned forward and placed his hand on the back of Clint's neck, adding just a bit of pressure. Then he added a bit of command to his voice. “On your knees.”

Natasha almost laughed, that sort of thing never worked with Clint. She gasped as he Clint gracefully sunk to his knees. As far as she knew the only one that could do that to him had been Coulson.

Steve kept his hand were it was. “You are trying to hard to play the part of the dominant but I can tell that what you really are is just a submissive in distress. Whatever Phil was for you, I can be that now. You need someone to take care of you. Let me be that for you. Let me make the decisions that you don't want to, let me protect you, keep you safe. Let me guard your heart and keep you sane.”

Clint shook his head but stayed on his knees and didn't speak. He closed his eyes as Steve moved the hand that had been on the back of his neck, around to caress the hinge of his jaw and then placed his palm under Clint's chin to keep his head up as he placed his collar around the base of his throat, using the thumb on the same hand to let the scanner read his print as the collar locked into place.

Steve stayed looming above him for a moment. The he knelt down so that he and Clint were at eye level. “This doesn't change anything. You're still a valued member of the team. It just means that I need you to take care of yourself and when you don't you will have to answer to me. When something is bothering you, you will come to me instead of running yourself into the ground. Do you understand?”

Clint nodded, swallowed to feel the metal of the collar move against his adam's apple. “Yes Sir.”

Steve stood, and carded his hand through Clint's hair, his blunt nails scratching slightly against the younger man's scalp. “I know that you think that this is terrible but believe me, this is for your own good. You don't need to call me Sir, not when we're alone, not out on the field and not in front of the team.

Clint pulled his head out of Steve's grip. He stood up and placed an index finger under the collar. “You don't think that they are going to notice? I haven't been _forced_ to wear a collar since I fled the circus. They are going to notice.”

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief to see that he was at least standing up for himself.

Steve stood his ground. “And if any of them have a problem with it, they can come talk to me.”

Clint just bowed his head. Natasha knew it was him admitting defeat and giving in. She also knew that Steve would take it as Clint accepting his fate and admitting that his place was at Steve's feet. She climbed back through the vent to land soundlessly in the hallway. She knew that she should intervene, Tony had after all, come to her. But she also knew that if Clint needed or wanted her help he would come to her on his own. For now, the best thing that she could do for Clint is wait. She would, however keep a close eye on the archer. If she thought for even a minute that Steve was abusing him or hindering him in some way she would intervene, she would see it as her having no choice.


	3. Clint Tries Good Behaviour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint wants to be good, he really does.

The first few weeks went by without much difference. Clint still was seldom seen outside of his room. He knew that this behaviour was what had gotten him in the predicament that he was in. It wasn't that Steve was a mean or unreasonable dominant. In fact, as Clint sat on his bed, his blankets around him in a circle, one hand curled around the front of the collar while the other was busy typing away at a Stark Padd, he realized that if things had been different, like if he had actually wanted a dominant, Steve would not have been a bad a choice. He turned his head, almost as if he was trying to knock the collar off, even though he knew that he wasn't going to be able to. He didn't want a dominant. Coulson had understood that. Steve acted like he owned Clint. Clint knew that it wasn't going to be long before he was going to have to start acting like a 'proper' submissive. He knew that was what Steve would have expected. Steve still hadn't dropped him and he knew that would have to happen soon too. He ran a hand through his hair, this was not how he had wanted to do things, but he supposed that there could be worse things.

His phone pinged, pulling him out of his thoughts.

**Time to eat, please**

Clint couldn't help the small smile that was pulling at the corners of his mouth. That was another thing, even though Clint never came down to eat Steve always messaged him to ask him to come down and eat. He never answered, and he knew that Steve wouldn't. He also knew that in the end, Steve would come up to his room with a tray and make him eat. He had tried digging his heels in the first time that Steve did that, but the super-soldier was having done of it. He had gripped Clint's chin and when that didn't work, he had pressed on the hinge of the archer's jaw, exerting just enough pressing to force his mouth open. He had fed him, Clint found it humiliating, he wasn't a child; he could feed himself. When he had told Steve as much, Steve had told him to prove it. He had said that he didn't care that he didn't come down to eat but he had to eat. Clint had bowed his head and said that he would eat, on his own. He never tried that stunt again.

He ignored the text. About 20 minutes later, while Clint was throwing knives at a dart board there was a knock on his door. Before he could say anything Jarvis had alerted him.

_Agent Barton, Captain Rogers is at the door_

Clint internally sighed, of course he was and right on time. For all of Steve's good intentions he was still very old fashioned when it came to the behaviours of submissives and what he deemed appropriate. He knew that Steve would expect him on his knees waiting. Clint crossed the room and snagged the purple kneeling cushion that Steve had given him, put it by the chair that Steve normally sat in and kneeled on his cushion with his hands clasped behind his back and his head bowed. He felt ridiculously stupid, in his opinion there was no reason why he should be kneeling in his own room. But he knew that that was what Rogers would expect. Part of him, the smart-mouthed kid from the circus, part of him, was telling him that although Rogers was playing Dom, Rogers was not **his** Dom. He didn't have one and he didn't need one. But the collar around his neck reminded him otherwise. So he kept his head bowed and waited. He took a deep breath as he heard the click of Jarvis unlocking the door and Steve walk in.

Steve put the tray on the desk and sat in the chair. He used to just dive right in to making sure that Clint ate but he knew by now that the archer needed things even if he wouldn't ask for them. He carded his fingers through Clint's hair. “Such a good boy.”

At those soft words, Clint could feel his resolve crumbling. It usually did with Steve, Steve would know just what to say and how to say it. Clint could feel himself pushing up into the hand in his hair before he could stop himself. And when Steve moved his hand down the side of Clint's face, he nuzzled at the warm palm before he could reason with himself that this was exactly what Steve wanted. Steve was trying to prove that Clint was nothing but a weak submissive who had no place on the Avenger's team. If Steve knew that this was what Clint was thinking he would have said that he was wrong.

After a few minutes, Steve turned his attention back to the tray that he had brought with him. “Are you going to continue to be my good boy and eat?” Steve had removed his palm and noted with some satisfaction that Clint's eyes had a slight haze to them and his body language was much more relaxed. He didn't know why Clint would fight against his submission so much. It was so unnecessary. If he would just let Steve do his job, Clint would be so much better for it. Steve spread his legs a little further, and gently pushed Clint, who had been sitting off to the side, to encourage him to move so that he was sitting in between them.

Clint shuffled, somewhat awkwardly so that he was in the space that Steve provided. Steve knew that Clint didn't like to be fed, so he balanced the tray on his own knees, allowing Clint to feed himself. Steve made sure that he maintained skin contact with the submissive in front of him. Clint may claim not to need it, but he was obviously starved for it. Steve watched carefully as Clint ate the sandwich that he had cut up for him, taking sips of the blue gatorade in between every few bites. Steve smiled as Clint ate most of the fruit salad he brought for him as well.

When the tray was empty Steve moved it back to the desk. Clint leaned his cheek against the captain's knee. There was a voice inside his brain that was telling him that he shouldn't be leaning here, shouldn't be comfortable. But his head felt too heavy, and the fingers that were back in his hair, gently massaging his scalp felt good. The only thing that he could smell was Steve, and the Captain was exerting enough of his dominance to make Clint go pliant and quiet. If he just stayed here for a few minutes, no one would blame him.

Steve let it continue for a couple of minutes, waiting for Clint to settle, relax and allow him the serenity that only comes when being surrounded by a dominant. He smiled softly with a chuckle as he lifted his hand from the archer's hair and the archer tried to follow the movement. Steve placed his hand under the archer's chin, forcing him to look up. “We need to talk.”

Clint closed his eyes and groaned. He could never understand why, whenever he started feeling good, okay with things that Steve would then decide to ruin it with his need to talk. But the small voice in the back of his mind, the submissive voice that just wanted to curl up to his dominant, have fingers in his hair and be told that he is a good boy, told him that this was important and that he needed to pay attention. And then maybe, if he did that, the dominant would pet his hair, let him lean against his knee and tell him what a good boy he was. When Clint felt Steve's index finger tap against his chin, he opened his eyes.

“I know that you don't want to talk Clint. But this is one of those conversations that I have put off for far too long. It is something that we need to discuss. I think that you need to let me put you down.” Steve tried very hard to keep the command out of his voice. This was something that he needed Clint to decide on his own,despite that he may say no and the longer that he stalled and waited, the more on edge he would become and the more it posed a danger to his health. Most submissives needed to be dropped at least once a month. He had no idea when the last time Clint had been put into a subdrop either by a trusted dominant or professionally. The silence was so thick in the room that Steve could hear Clint's throat click when he swallowed. Steve stared right into Clint's eyes, as Clint stared back and then dropped his gaze to the floor.

“I don't need to be dropped Sir. I'm fine.” Clint's eyes never left the floor.

“Clint, when was the last time that you went into a safe subdrop?”

Clint closed his eyes and took a deep breath. For a second he debated on lying to the captain but he knew that if he did that and the captain found out he would be angry, and probably punish him. Clint had yet to be punished by Steve and he had a feeling that he wouldn't like it. “It's been 2 years Sir.”

Steve schooled his expression. He couldn't imagine a submissive going that long. No wonder whenever they were called out on a mission he was jittery just before, hyper focused during and a trembling mess after. “Are you on inhibitors?”

Clint nodded. “Yes, but I haven't taken them since Ph—Agent Coulson died.”

Steve notice the slight shiver that went through Clint's body. “Clint you need to drop. You haven't been on your inhibitors for a couple of months. I'm surprised that you're still managing to function.” Steve put his hand back in the submissive's hair and gently tugged at the strands. “Trust me to do this for you, I can keep you safe.” Steve watched as the submissive at his feet just nodded. He knew that every submissive had their own way they liked to put down. He was already guessing that Clint was not into pain, they got that enough during their work. Steve tugged a harsher on Clint's hair to get his attention. “Let's move this to the bed, I think that you'll be more comfortable.” Steve read the panic in Clint's eyes before he could say anything else. “Just to put you into a nice drop. I'm not going to do anything sexual to you and I won't leave.”

Clint stood, ignoring the popping in his knees as he walked to the bed, standing near the foot of it and not moving. Steve removed his shoes and sat on the bed, beckoning Clint to following. Clint took off his purple slippers and crawled over to the head of the bed. Steve laid down and Clint laid down, somewhat stiffly next to him. Steve knew that he had to get the submissive to calm down. “Take your shirt off and lay on your stomach.” Clint's eyes became as wide as saucers, “trust me.” Steve listened to him exhale as he sat up, pulled his shirt over his head, flinging it to the floor and then flopped over onto his stomach, his hands near his head as he shut his eyes and tried to concentrate on his breathing.

“Clint, I need you to listen to me. Keep your eyes closed. I want you to inhale,count to 5 and then exhale and count to 7. I want you to continue to do this until I tell you to stop. Do you understand?” Steve didn't move until Clint answered.

“Yes Sir.”

Steve let him breathe uninterrupted until he seemed to be getting lost in his own pattern. Clint was so lost concentrating on his breathing that he jumped when he felt Steve's warm hands on his back. Steve carefully worked all the knots out of Clint's back. He started in the middle of his back and worked his way up to his shoulder's, kneading the stress out of the shoulder joints. Then he rubbed down the right arm, all the way from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers, he gave the left side the same treatment. Steve rubbed at his shoulders again, knowing that the archer tended to get a lot of strain in them and then continued down his back to his waist. He massaged his back twice before he felt Clint relax under his hands. The entire time he did this, he was telling Clint what a good boy he was, how pretty he was when he was all relaxed, how he had nothing to worry about. By the time he finished Clint's breathing was almost as deep and as even as if he was asleep.

Steve put his arm under the archer and gently rolled him towards him. He smiled at how relaxed the sub was. When he cradled Clint in his arms and nudged him to lay down so that Clint's head was on his chest, he quietly chuckled when Clint let out a happy sigh. Steve doubted that he was even aware that he had made that sort of noise. He continued to rub Clint's back, murmuring pleasant words to him as Clint drifted. Steve as unsure how long they were laying there, he was listening to Clint breathe, keeping him safe and making sure that none of the usual monsters that Clint had in his head were disrupting him. It would be hours before Clint would open this eyes.


	4. Clint is Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the Avengers have started to notice...

It took awhile, but eventually things had started to settle down. It was a little over a week before the rest of the team starting seeing Clint in the common area for team meals and he was always in the gym. He was more than willing to spar with anyone, and it didn't take the rest of the team very long to realize that he was almost back into the same fighting condition that he had been in before Phil had died.

The first time that he had joined them for supper, the rest of the team had known something was up before he even came down. The first thing that Natasha clued in on was that Steve seemed a little nervous. He had helped set the table, as usual but instead of adding a second chair, he had taken a jewel purple kneeling pillow and put it to the left of his chair. Natasha had made eyes with Bruce as he came to enter the room, he nodded in agreement and exited the way that he had come in. When he returned a moment later he had on his red submissive collar and he placed his green kneeling pillow to the left of where he knew Natasha was sitting. Tony seemed a bit baffled by the seating arrangements but he just straightened his Stark Industries silver collar, grabbed a nearby kneeling cushion and sat at Pepper's left. The way that he figured it was that if all the submissive's were going to be sitting on the floor, for whatever reason, he wasn't going to be the odd sub out.

Steve had a sent a quick text to Clint letting him know that he could come down. Clint had been a bit worried at first, he had even pleaded with Steve to remove his collar. Steve had said that he was going to do no such thing and that the only thing that was going to happen was that Clint was going to come down stairs and kneel like the good boy that he was. Steve knew that he would win just by calling Clint a good boy.

As Clint stepped off the elevator and made his way to where everyone was, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew that everyone had seen his collar, and no one had given it a second glance or asked about it, he figured that was because it was unmistakingly Captain America's collar. He walked into the room, found Steve and for a minute he just stood there, his hands behind his back with his wrists crossed, fighting the urge to go down on his knees. It wasn't that he was in the habit of kneeling every time Steve was in the room. But Steve was the one who had been putting him down, and with so many dominants in the room, his body was reacting to his dom. He hadn't even registered that he had kneeled until there was a hand in his hair. He felt a moment of panic, for showing his weakness to everyone in the room. But nothing happened. Steve kept his hand in the submissive's hair calming him, and the chatter that had been in the room when he first entered resumed. He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the feel of his dom's fingers in his hair, pretending not to notice if anyone was staring at him.

If Clint had been worried about supper at all, he didn't let it show. Once the table was set, the subs took their places by their doms. Pepper had stood after everyone was seated. She knew Tony would be working during supper, so feeding him was not an issue, it was not a secret that he liked being fed. The less he had to worry about the better. “I know that Tony prefers to be fed, do any of the other submissive's want a kneeling tray?”

Natasha looked at Bruce who shrugged. “No, I think Bruce and I can manage.” She ruffled his hair affectionately. He closed his eyes and seemed to relax.

Steve knew from earlier that this would be a tough thing for Clint. He also knew that Clint had been at odds with this whole thing, he had this idea in his head what it meant to be perfect, Steve thought that was a very silly notion but at the same time he didn't want to center his sub out either. He leaned close to Clint's ear.

“I know that you think that being fed is a sign of weakness. I know that you strive to do everything for yourself. I want you to know that I have no problem with feeding you. But if you want to feed yourself that is okay too. But allowing your dominant to take care of you, especially in a group setting is just one more way that you can show how willing you are to submit.” He smiled encouragingly as he waited for Clint's answer.

Clint kept his head bowed, he feel the heat starting to rise in his face. “I would like you to feed me Sir.” His answer was so quiet that if Steve hadn't had enhanced hearing he would have missed it.

Steve nodded. “Good boy.” Then turned his attention to Pepper. “I don't think that a kneeling tray will be necessary.”

She smiled at Steve. “Very good. Alright everybody, let's eat.”

Supper went without any interruptions. The Dominants talked about anything and everything. The submissive's were quiet unless there was a topic that piqued their interests. Although, the only one to not say anything at all was Tony, not that anyone was surprised. Tony had a way of blocking everything out when he was working, he had a narrow minded focus that most people envied. Although, at times like these Steve often wondered how Pepper could deal with it. She basically would tap Tony either on the top of his head or his shoulder when she had a bite ready for him.

Steve smiled fondly at Clint. He knew how hard that decision had been for the archer. And to his credit, he had kept his hands securely behind his back, probably as a way to remind himself not to use his hands. He doesn't talk through dinner, using his eyes to ask when he wants a drink. He can't bring himself to talk, he knows that his voice would be too unsteady and he just hopes that his Dom understands. As that thought hit him Steve had just offered him another bite of the pasta they were having. Clint stops mid chew.

His Dom. Clint had just referred to Steve as His Dom, in his head. He tries to remember when Steve had stopped being Steve and the forced dom to Sir and His Dom. Clint swallows before Steve thinks that there is something wrong with him. He looks up at Steve, Steve has an eye brow arched in a silent question. Clint just shakes his head and leaned into the touch when Steve cards his fingers through Clint's hair for what seems like the one hundredth time that evening.

Natasha watches the exchange and smiles slightly. She knew that Clint had needed a dominant. Even Coulson knew that he had needed one. Phil had tried to be that for the archer, he had introduced him to the drop inhibitors as a way to try and make Clint's life a little easier. Phil had tried to dom him but Phil found too hard. Fury had always said that it was bad politics to mix being a handler with being someone's dominant. She was really hoping that maybe Steve could be that for Clint.


	5. Clint Barton Submissive of Steve Rogers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events of after dinner.

After everyone had finished eating and the table had been cleared, they were all settling down to watch a movie. Once again, all of the submissive's sat either at the Dom's feet or in between their legs. Steve was surprised when Clint put his kneeling pillow in front of the spot where Steve usually sat. Much to Steve's credit, his steps never faltered as he walked over to the chair and sat so that Clint was safely in between his legs. He smiled in Natasha's direction as the movie was started and Clint leaned into the Captain's leg with a hand curled around his ankle. Every once in awhile during the movie, Steve would reach down and card his fingers through Clint's hair. He could feel Clint sigh under the administrations. He could tell the exact moment that Clint fell asleep. He just leaned very heavily to the right and if anyone heard him softly snoring, no one mentioned it.

The next thing that Clint remembered was the captain gently picking him up. Clint was not a small man but in his half awake half asleep state he felt safe in the captains arms. He just curled his arms tighter around the captains neck and laid his head against Steve's shoulder. He let Steve carry him bridal style to his bed, and if he snuggled into the embrace once they were on the bed, he said nothing about it.

Clint was the first to wake up. He felt safe and warm against his dominants chest. He could hear the strong thudding of Steve's heart, which meant that he had slept with his hearing aids in again. He sighed as he snuggled into his embrace. He knew that he had been at odds with his submission and that the last thing that he had wanted was to be collared. He slipped his fingers underneath the collar, it wasn't that bad. Steve wasn't a tyrant. Clint's submission to him had been forced in the beginning but as he allowed himself to become more comfortable with it and fall into the new role that Steve was setting out for him, he was finding out that it wasn't terrible. The thing that he found the most odd was that it wasn't sexual. Steve would touch him but it was never in a sexual manner and the fact that Steve had never set out clear rules as to when Clint could touch himself and if he was allowed to come, while maybe that was something that Steve wasn't into.

He could feel Steve's hand rubbing idly at his back, he figured this meant that he was awake. He stretched, not really wanting to get up but knowing that Steve had a routine and that normally wasn't something that he just brushed aside. “Will you be getting up Sir?” Even as he spoke he curled and snuggled into Steve's sleepy warmth.

Steve placed a gentle kiss on the top of Clint's hair. “As much as I would love to stay curled up with you in bed all day, there are things that need to get done.” Steve stretched and started to unwind himself from his sub. “Stay in this nice warm bed until I get back.” As Steve left the bed, Clint curled into the warm spot that had been left behind.

As Steve was in the shower, he thought a lot about the submissive in his bed. Once Clint had gotten over the fear of people noticing that he was collared and possibly ridiculing him for it he was doing much better. Steve had told him that a collar was nothing to fear, he was glad to see that the archer was finally believing him. He was also happy to note that the rest of the avengers, submissive and dominants alike had taken it in stride. He knew that Clint needed someone to care for him, he was just hoping that the worst was far behind them. He would never change who Clint was and he was certain that he couldn't even if he tried. He was just there to protect him. As he got out of the shower he smiled at the sleepy sub that smiled at him, his face half hidden in Steve's abandoned pillow. He knew that he would have to claim him sooner or later and that meant having sex.

If the new initiative that the government was trying to pass for submissives (trying to say that it was for their own protection), he would only be able to stay with SHIELD as a collared submissive if he passed a full physical examination. Otherwise, he would be stripped of all SHIELD tech, and probably thrown into a training camp. Steve knew that he had been doing things a little backwards with Clint, they didn't even have a contract yet. If things got bad, they could get ugly. Steve was not going to see Clint thrown to whatever sadistic dom could lay a claim to him. He knew that this was something that they were going to have to talk about, and since the government had been moving pretty fast it was a conversation that they were going to have to have sooner rather than later.

“Clint, I think that we need to talk.” Steve had realized that he should have waited to have this conversation, that his mouth had acted without his permission so as he spoke he quickly got on a pair of sweatpants.

Clint seemed to notice the shift almost immediately. He sat up, the sheets pooling around him. He knew from experience that this was never a good start to any conversation. He had been trying to be good, maybe the other doms that he had had were right, maybe he was a shit sub after all. He had been going through almost every interaction that they had together, trying to figure out where he had gone wrong, he thought that he had been doing alright, not trying to get his collar off, kneeling when he was supposed to, using Steve's honorific when he was supposed to,obeying. He couldn't figure it out.

Steve could see all of the little emotions flash in Clint's eyes in a matter of seconds. His poor boy thought that he had done something. He held up his hand when Clint went to speak. He knew that he should have just said something but he knew that for right now it was best that he just get this part over with. He knew that Clint still struggled with his submission and that if he didn't approach this right the whole thing could blow up in his face.

“Calm down Clint, it's nothing that you did. Have you been keeping up with the news?” Steve's blue eyes never left Clint's.

“Yes Sir. If you're referring to the Submissive Initiative 14.3-9.”

Steve nodded, “I am. And do you know exactly what that means?” As Steve spoke he sat on the bed and gently wrapped a hand around one of Clint's wrists. He was using his touch as a way to ground the submissive but also this way he could monitor Clint's pulse. He watched Clint's adams apple move against the collar as he swallowed.

“Due to the fact that you collared me in private and there was no official ceremony and we didn't write up a contract, the government can either send me to a training camp to ensure that I am a good fit for you and if I am found lacking, your collar will be removed and I could be sold to anyone. This would also mean that I would no longer work for SHIELD. Or they could mandate that I go through a complete physical to make sure that when you collared me, you also claimed me.”

Steve nodded again. “I know that this situation is less than ideal. I promised you when I collared you that I would protect you and I mean that.” He didn't like the way that Clint was looking at his hands, with eyes down, now refusing to look at Steve.

Clint shook his head as if to clear it. “There are different ways that you can claim me. A permanent collar could be attached, I know that that would still involve an appointment with the government agency because they have to solder it on. There is also branding or tattoo your family's crest or name on my skin,” Clint couldn't suppress the involuntary shudder.

Steve pulls Clint close to him, the last thing that he wants to do is hurt his sub. He's worked too hard to try and get Clint comfortable. “I'm not going to brand you, they stopped doing that a long time ago. We could tattoo you if that is what you want. Or I could talk to Fury, get a contract drawn up, we have a proper collaring and then I could show you how much I love you.”

Clint shakes his head. “Isn't it too late for that? Shouldn't all that have been done before you slapped your collar on me?”

Steve tries to not look hurt at the comment. “I'm the leader of the Avengers. They won't question my decisions.” Steve can read the uncertainty in Clint's eyes. “We're running out of time. But just think about it, okay?”

Clint nodded, not trusting his voice. He knew that he had some decisions to make. He gingerly touched the collar at his throat almost like he was afraid that it would either burn him or break. When Steve had first collared him he would have given nothing to have the collar off, and now he was worried that he would lose it forever.


	6. The Meeting of the Submissives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint is intent on talking to the other subs, not realizing that the Doms have just as much to say.

Clint knew that he was facing a very difficult decision, he also knew that there would only be one right answer. There was no way in hell that he was going to let them put him in some over populated training camp where they were going to make sure that he knew how to kneel, when to look up, how to properly show that he was submissive and make sure that he was well-versed all sort of sexual acts. That was bullshit as far as Clint was concerned. He knew how things like that went. He had no desire to be pimped out to which dom-guard thought could tame him.

But he also knew that he needed a different perspective. He knew that Steve had said that he loved him but he needed to make sure that he wasn't setting himself up for a failure. He had seen that happen when he was at the circus, too many times, a submissive would tie themselves to a dominant that promised that they would always be there, just to find that after a year or two they were looking for something else. Clint didn't want to lose the family that he had, he didn't want to go back to not being able to hear. His hearing is abysmal.

Back when he was with the circus there was this group, his older brother Barney had said they were uncollared submissives that had a secret agenda. They thought that to force a collar on a submissive was cruel, and although at that point, he was collared he had agreed. All of the subs in the circus wore the collar of the ringleader. Anyway, this group had aimed to 'free' the subs and apparently they figured that the best way to do that was to blow a hole in the big tent. Clint had been up in the rafters helping to secure the rigging when the blast blew through the beam that he was on. He fell almost 50 feet, he landed fine enough, having more than enough time and training to correct the fall, he broke his ankle but the blast had cost him his hearing. He was 80 percent deaf on his right side and 60 percent deaf on his left. The hearing aids that SHIELD supplied him with were state of the art (only Stark Industries made anything comparable) because they doubled as a communication device with no feedback. So he needed to make sure that Steve wanted to keep him so he could keep his hearing. Although he had no doubt that he could ask Pepper (he wasn't sure if he'd be allowed to ask Tony seeing as Pepper was his Dominant. He figured that it was probably best just to stick to proper protocols) if Tony could make something but he was never one to really ask for help. He shrugged, he had been deaf once before he could do it again.

Not that that was something that he wanted.

So he was resolved to meet with Tony and Bruce, the only other submissives that he knew to try and figure out what the deal was with Steve. He had never heard of a dominant that hadn't wanted to have sex with their submissive, it made Clint antsy. He knew that he would just talk to Steve, find out what was going on but he was a little scared of the answer. He had thought that he would have caught them alone, which was why he was surprised when he realized that their dominants were in the room as well.

He had walked into the room quickly with the intention of getting this over with as quickly as possible, just in case he didn't like their answers. The drawback of this approach was that he had no way of discreetly leaving the room when he saw that the dominants were on the chairs, with Tony and Bruce on comfortable looking cushions on the floor.

He trained his eyes on the floor, he knew that Natasha wouldn't have cared but he wasn't so sure about Pepper. “Ma'ams.”

Pepper smiled. “There is no need for formalities. How can we help you Clint?”

Clint looked at her as she gently pet Tony's hair, he looked so peaceful. His eyes were slowly slipping shut and he looked completely relaxed. Bruce on the other hand was sitting in between Natasha's thighs facing towards Clint. Natasha had his wrists and was applying gentle pressure, enough to ground him but not enough to cause the Other Guy any alarm. He quickly made eye contact with her and she smiled with a barely there nod of her head.

Clint had never really wanted to go to his knees before dominants that weren't his. He had seem submissives crumble in their resolve whenever Natasha walked into a room, but he figured that had more to do with her power of being such a strong dominant, but he was used to her. He knew that Pepper demanded respect and would accept nothing less, but she wasn't commanding him. She just continued the gentle petting of Tony's hair as she smiled sweetly at Clint and waited for him to begin talking. Before he started he just gently folded his knees underneath him and folded his hands in his lap.

Pepper watched him gracefully slip to his knees and fold his hands in his lap. She doubted that he even knew why he was doing it. She also doubted that he even knew that he was folding himself in a respectful submissive pose. He wasn't quite looking at her but she was alright with that. She watched as he licked his lips and took a deep breath.

“I think that Steve is going to get rid of me.” His shoulders slumped as he made the verbal admission that he had previously only thought to himself.

Pepper exchanged glances with Natasha, they could both feel the distress coming off him in saddening waves. Natasha clicked her tongue, she had been afraid that this might happen. She released Bruce's wrists, gently squeezing his shoulder, that was their sign that he was not to move as she stood up and walked over to her friend. She knew that she had to be careful, she had no desire to undo all the careful work that Steve had done, even if she was angry with him for not taking care of his sub as he should.

Natasha knelt down in front of Clint, who had taken to staring at the ground. She put two of her fingers under his chin and forced him to look up. “Why do you think that?” Her heart broke with the sadness that she could read in his eyes and the unshed tears that threatened to fall.

Clint took a deep breath, he knew that he had to choose his words carefully. “First he collars me because he said that I needed it, now he wants a contract and a proper collaring but he doesn't even touch me. So in essence I guess that makes me an uncollared collared sub.” He huffed miserably.

Tony had been pulled out of the nice head space that Pepper had been putting him in because Clint's stress levels were so high they were affecting the other subs. After Clint had finished speaking Tony laughed, it wasn't a quiet laugh either. This earned him a tap on the head from Pepper but that didn't mean that he stopped. His laughter went on long enough that even Natasha had started to get irritated, the more that Tony laughed the more miserable it seemed to make Clint.

Pepper gripped his chin, hard enough to make him stop. “Anthony Edward Stark, if you don't explain as to what is to funny this instant, you will not be coming for an entire month.” Her tone was deadly quiet and that seemed to sober him up. She let go of his chin as she waited for his explanation.

He looked from her to Clint then back to her. “Does he know anything about his dominant or the laws?” Pepper gave his hair a sharp tug. “Okay, look. At first, yeah, maybe the captain did collar him out of some misplaced judgment. But the fact that he basically wants a do-over just so that Clint can stay with SHIELD and continue to do his job? That's awesome. There are some pretty hefty laws that are going to be going to effect pretty soon and I think that Cap just wants to make sure that Clint is as unaffected by them as possible. By claiming Clint as his sub, on SHIELD property, which I'm pretty sure is what he is aiming towards, he is trying to make sure that Clint can get the best of **everything**.”

Natasha inclined her head, understanding burning in her green eyes “By Fury being the one to oversee the contract, as well as Steve claiming Clint within SHIELD, they won't be able to force him not to be there and anything that does happen will have to go through Steve, and because Steve is an Avenger he gets to stay here too. If things change for the worse for submissives no government agency will be able to touch him with a 10 foot pole because he will belong to Steve.”

Clint wanted to smack himself in the forehead. “And because he is so old fashioned he doesn't want to do anything sexually with me until it's completely clear that I am his and that I want it. I'm an idiot.” Clint groaned and closed his eyes.

Natasha ruffled his hair. “You are not, you just couldn't see the big picture. I suggest you go upstairs and wait for your dominant. I think that you and him need to have a discussion.” She went and sat back behind Bruce.

Clint got up, resisting the urge to press his forehead to the floor in a sign of gratitude. “Thanks.”

Pepper smiled, “That's what we're here for.”


	7. Discussions, Contracts and a Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve shows Clint his contract and insists that he reads it.

When Steve had approached Fury about presiding over the ceremony and taking a look at Clint's contract, he hadn't exactly been surprised. He had known that Steve had wanted Clint as his submissive for awhile, but he also knew that Clint wasn't going to make it easy. Clint had always been that way, he had never been sold on the way that submissives were treated and he had always said that he was never going to wear anyone's collar.

But obviously something had changed. Fury looked at Steve. He had always figured that if someone could hold Clint's contract and change some of his more self destructive behaviours that would be Steve. On his desk in front of him was the contract that Steve had drawn up. He would have like for Clint to see it before Fury but for one reason or another he was no where to be found. Fury drummed his fingers on the table, “are you sure this is what he wants?”

Steve nodded. “He hasn't seen it yet. I wanted to run it by you before I said anything to him. If it were up to him he would just sign it and be done. We have had a rocky start but everyone who has seen him over the last month or so can definitely say that he has changed. Most of the reckless behaviour is gone,” Steve cleared his throat, “or at the very least toned down. He is taking much better care of himself then he had been previously. He may hate being a submissve but he still is. At the end of the day he needs a Dominant. I think that he is finally starting to get that. And I think that he is starting to understand that I really do have his best interests at heart and I only want what is best for him.”

Fury nodded. “I think that you should let him have a look at this, see if anything needs to be amended. If not, call me and I will set up a formal meeting. We'll get the T-9625B3 forms ready. But I want to be completely sure that this is what he wants. I would hate to lose one of my best snipers because of a misunderstanding.”

Steve took a deep breath. “That is part of the reason why I am doing this. If the government passes the Submissive Initiative law, unless he is already collared and claimed, then you may lose him already.”

Again Fury nodded, leaning back in his chair. He had known that that would be Steve's angle. He just hoped that Steve knew what he was getting himself into. “Go home, talk to your submissive. Have him actually read this contract, not what he normally does. If he is agreeable, both him and you need to meet with me and we'll make this thing official. Clear?”

Steve stood. “Yes Sir.” He didn't see Fury smile as he turned his back and went out the door.

\---

Clint was waiting. He was on his knees, in Steve's room, with his hands behind his back and his head bowed. He had no idea if he was doing this right, he didn't even know if Steve was going to be mad at him for being in his room. The way that Clint figured things was that if he was going to accept Steve's collar and offer his submission in return, he might as well get used to being on his knees. He knew that Steve was a traditionalist and being that as it was, once Clint offered himself to Steve, he would probably have him in a submissive stance more often then not. He was so lost in his own head, he never heard Steve walk in.

The sight that met Steve when he had walked into his room was breath-taking. He had never expected to see Clint, in his bedroom, on his knees, the perfect picture of submission. He stood in the doorway for a minute, just taking in the sight, barely even daring to breathe. He had always thought that Clint was a beautiful man and now was no exception. He walked in to the room completely and placed his hand on the back of Clint's neck, just above the collar. “I doubt you even know how beautiful you are.” Steve smiled when Clint leaned into his touch. “And as good as you look down there, we have somethings to discuss.”

Steve crossed the room and sat in the arm chair. He knew that even though Clint had his head down, he was tracking his every move. Once Steve was settled in his chair, with the contract on the desk beside him he waited. He was pleased when Clint leaned forward and crawled across the room, settling himself between Steve's knees, with his head up against his knee. Steve didn't start talking until he felt Clint wrap a hand around his ankle and sigh as Steve carded his fingers through Clint's hair. “I have your contract. If wearing my collar and belonging to me is something that you still want, I need you to read it.”

Clint wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer him, it wasn't as if that had been a question. So he just waited, calm in the fact that the only thing he had to do in that moment was sit and wait. Nothing else mattered, Steve had his contract but it was still on the desk, so there was no need to do anything about it.

Steve continued to card his fingers through Clint's hair. He lived for the moments like this, where Clint was calm and settled on the ground.”Clint?”

Clint lifted his eyes without moving his head. “Sir?”

“Is that something that you still want?” Steve kept his tone even and his breathing calm. He knew that this had to be Clint's decision. He wasn't sure what he would do if Clint got up, and walked out the door. He supposed that he could be re-assigned. But he knew that for Clint it wouldn't be that simple. He knew that SHEILD would stick him with any dom that would take him and that was not what Clint needed. Clint a firm but gentle hand. When Clint was in his submissive head space he could be the sweetest thing, and Steve couldn't stand the thought of someone using that against him.

Clint licked his lips, knowing that Steve was tracking the movement. “Yes Sir. That is what I want. Do I have to read it? I trust that you wouldn't put anything over the top in it.”

Steve smiled. “I know that but it is important that you agree to everything that is there. This is a legally binding contract. Once you sign it, you will belong to me and in the event of my death, your contract will become the property of Nick Fury. And since he is the one officiating the signing of the contract and the collaring ceremony to follow, he will insist that you read it and acknowledge that you understood it.”

Steve almost chuckled at the pout that Clint gave him. He knew that Clint hated reading and only did it when it was deemed absolutely necessary. As endearing as he found it when Clint pouted, he knew that if he was going to take Clint on as his submissive then Clint was going to have to start listening to him. “Now Clint.” There was a hint of warning in his voice. He smiled as he saw Clint shiver.

Clint held out his hand. Steve arched an eyebrow. Clint breathed through his nose. “May I please see the temporary contract Sir?” He knew that phrasing it as a temporary contract was the correct term to use, as it wasn't considered a binding contract until it had the signatures of the Dominant, submissive in question and the officiator.

Steve handed him the stapled pieces of paper and waited until Clint had shifted into a more comfortable position before resuming carding his fingers through Clint's hair. Clint was still sitting between Steve's legs but he had his back to him as he read through. He had to take his time and he did. By the time he was finished he didn't know why Steve had made a fuss, none of the usual hassle (or what Clint referred to as a hassle) was there.

“I finished Sir.” He handed back the papers.

“And?” Steve put the papers back on the desk.

Clint shrugged, “And I don't see what the big issue was. There are no demands in the contract that are unreasonable. For the most part, it is about me being responsible for my actions, taking care of myself and coming to you if there is ever anything that I need. And that as long as you're at SHIELD no one can force me to leave and all disciplinary actions are to be taken by you.”

Clint had turned so that he was facing him again. He was looking into Steve's blue eyes as they talked and all he saw there was concern and love. He'd never had that, his stomach did a butterfly flip and he suddenly found himself wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Clint licked his lips. “Sir?”

“Yes Clint?” He thought he knew what Clint was going to ask and he was pretty sure that he was going to have to say no. Steve knew that Clint had never had a real dominant before, not one that just wanted to love him and keep him safe. Steve didn't want to ruin that.

“In light of the situation, may I kiss you?” Clint was pretty sure that the answer was going to be no. So he pulled the biggest puppy eyes that he could. There were very few who could say no to his big eyes.

Steve chuckled, it was a soft sound and one that Clint could definitely get used to hearing. “You are too cute for your own good.” The kiss that Steve planted on his submissive while he held his jaw was soft and chaste. Just a barely there press of lips. Clint melted into it just the same.


	8. It's a Ceremony Until It's Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The collaring ceremony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not completely happy with this chapter but after 2 re-writes I have decided to let it be.

It was the day of their collaring ceremony and Clint was nervous. He had never been through anything like this before and he was terrified that something was going to go spectacularly wrong. He sat in Fury's office, he and Steve weren't supposed to see each other until the ceremony. Nick Fury walked in and sat behind his desk, looking at the submissive who seemed conflicted. When Nick had dropped him off he had said that he could sit anywhere that he liked, but Clint seemed most comfortable sitting on the floor.

“Comfortable?” Nick had expected the sub to offer a smirk and his usual smart-assed comments. What he hadn't expected was for Clint to jump. Clint was quite possibly, the best sniper that Nick had ever seen, his eye sight was exceptional and almost no one, ever got the jump on him, which was why Nick was slightly concerned. He got up from his seat and knelt down in front of the young man.

“Clint.” The sniper continued to stare at the ground. “Clint, eyes on me.” Reluctantly he looked up. “Is this something that you want too? If it isn't, don't think that you have to go through with it.”

Clint sighed. He had already had this talk with Steve. Why did everyone think that he was being cohereced into this? “With all due respect Sir, I am happy with Steve. It may have started out as something that I didn't readily want, but he never pushes me beyond what I can take. He is always so gentle, like he is afraid that I will break. He doesn't treat me like I am less because I am a submissive and he is always referring to my submission as a gift. I never thought that I would want to be owned or collared. I had always thought that being under contract to someone was scary and a stupid idea. I understand now, that this surely is the only way that he can protect me. I like that idea. I am not under duress. I am just afraid of screwing this up.”

Nick gave his shoulder a slight squeeze, “You'll be fine.”

Clint tried to swallow around the lump in his throat to say something, anything. All he did was nod. He just hoped that when it was time he could get his voice to work.

Nick looked at his watch. “We should get going, I highly doubt that it will look good if you're late.”

***

The ceremony was beautiful. Clint really had no reason to be worried. At first as he knelt on the platform he was afraid that he would forget what he was supposed to say. But after Steve came up, and looked at him fondly with his blue eyes, looking like Clint was the most precious thing in the world he knew that he had nothing to worry about. Steve knew that Clint was nervous, he could feel it coming off his sub in waves.

When Steve took off the locking collar, and put on the one that he had made specifically for Clint, he looked right into his eyes. This collar was leather with a purple arrow on a metal shield. Clint knew that there was writing on the inside, resting against his throat. He could feel the embossed writing when he swallowed and he knew that it said 'In care of Steve Rogers'. Steve thankfully kept his vow of protection short, just as Clint kept his vow of obedience short. He didn't want to get choked up. The very last thing that he wanted to do was cry in front of their friends, he still had to work with them after all.

Once Fury had given the official announcement that they were Dominant and submissive, legal bound by a contract Steve helped Clint to his feet. He had known that it was traditional that the submissive was supposed to crawl after their dominant but Clint had made it very clear that there was no way that he was crawling. As they both stepped off the stage, Steve turned Clint towards him, cupped his face and kissed him. It was slow, soft and sweet. Clint had never felt more loved.


End file.
